The Walking Dead season 7 violence was "toned down" after audience backlash to the premiere

If you’re still recovering from The Walking Dead season 7 premiere, you’re not alone; turns out a strong backlash to the show's gruesome violence has seen subsequent episodes toned down.

At a panel session at the NATPE conference (via Variety), executive producer Gale Anne Hurd admitted the negative response affected the production team, prompting a rethink about storylines still in production at the time of the premiere to ensure the show didn’t “cross that line”.

“We were able to look at the feedback on the level of violence,” Hurd said. “We did tone it down for episodes we were still filming for later on in the season.”

“This is not a show that is torture porn.”

AMC Networks president-CEO Josh Sapan, who joined Hurd on the panel, acknowledged that extreme fan reactions to the premiere’s brutality were a reminder of how much fans care about the cast and characters. “When something matters a lot and it has a universality, then you’re bothered by it and you care about it," he said.

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